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Thrills and Spills

Posted by Zoom! on August 17, 2010, at 10:51 am |

Okay, now here’s some MAJOR news for you. Drum roll, please.

BANJO CAN FLY!

He turned one month old today, and he celebrated by flying off my finger while I was washing his face after breakfast. I was so surprised. I just assumed Piccolo would fly first, since he’s the oldest. And I thought it was still about a week in the future.

He didn’t fly far, just from my finger to the blue box where he and his siblings sleep at night. Only about a foot, total. I told myself he didn’t really fly, he just sort of fell and flapped. I scooped him back up and resumed washing his face. He flew again. This time he landed on the window of his blue box, and clung to it. That’s when I realized it wasn’t a fluke, he really can fly.

This changes everything.

And here’s Duncan the bird-watcher. He’s enchanted and intrigued by these baby birds. Everything about them fascinates him, from the little noises they make to the food they eat to the way they beat their little wings so vigorously without actually going anywhere. If they wake up crying in the middle of the night, he licks my face til I wake up and then escorts me to their bedroom. I think he likes them. But then again, I think he liked the mouse in his own way too.

In other news, It was late and we were tired. We played our traditional bedtime Bejeweled Blitz tournament, and then headed off to bed.

“But wait!” I said, suddenly remembering. “We forgot to go check out the new Swap Box!”

“Let’s go,” said GC.

Elmaks had left a comment here on the blog saying the new swap box was in the alcove just east of the east-bound bus shelters on Rideau Street, so we drove down to Rideau Street and parked the car.

I tend to be pretty relaxed about walking at night, but things are a little sketchy down there on Rideau late at night. I was aware of my wallet in my back pocket. I looked over my shoulder more than once. I felt unusually vigilant.

We weren’t exactly sure what an alcove was, and several things could have qualified, including a parking lot. Also, my brain was in geocaching mode, which meant I was looking for something hidden…but of course swap boxes are out in the open. I was making the whole thing much more difficult than it needed to be.

Finally we said to ourselves that maybe someone had ripped the swap box down already. We headed back to the car. And what do you think we saw on the way to the car? That’s right. The swap box, in an alcove just east of the bus shelters. I took a picture and left a bus ticket.

Right beside the swap box there were several people trying to change a tire on a taxi. It looked like an ill-fated operation to me, especially since they didn’t have a jack so they were trying to rock the car over and then hold it up while changing the tire. Fortunately another cabbie came along and lent them a jack.

XUP, I don’t know if they’re boys or girls. I’d have to get them DNA-tested to find out. Lovebirds don’t need to be in a heterosexual relationship to be happy – they just need to have someone to love. It can be another bird of either sex, or a human being, or possibly even another animal. They do like to bond though, and will be sad and lonely if nobody wants to bond with them. (A lovebird by itself will make an excellent pet to someone who can give it lots of time and attention.)

Julia, that’s what Duncan loves best too – when they whir their wings, like little hummingbirds.